Cindy McCain criticizes Gwyneth Paltrow: Cindy McCain, the wife of senator John McCain, criticized statements made by Gwyneth Paltrow comparing online criticism to war. In a series of tweets McCain responded by called the Oscar winning actress a “joke”.

“Gwyneth Paltrow is a joke. Her life is like taking bullets for a soldier. What a joke! My 2 sons serving in the military should talk to her,” wrote McCain. “Perhaps Gwyneth Paltrow should go out on patrol with some soldiers. Kind of like a Red Carpet in her mind I guess!” Read More »

The film “Zero Dark Thirty” is getting raves from most critics, but three U.S. senators say that the Kathryn Bigelow-directed movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden is “grossly inaccurate.” Senators John McCain, Carl Levin and Diane Feinstein, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to Sony Pictures saying “We write to express our deep disappointment with the movie Zero Dark Thirty. We believe the film is grossly inaccurate and misleading in its suggestion that torture resulted in information that led to the location of Usama bin Laden.” “Zero Darl Thirty” was named the best film of 2012 by the National Board of Review and took home top honors from the New York Film Critics Circle.

If Alec Baldwin’s brother Billy is to be believed, the “30 Rock” actor’s political aspirations are authentic. During an appearance on Piers Morgan, according to Politico, Billy stated, “I think on one level it’s very real. I think he’s very committed and extremely bright and knowledgeable and I think he could do it and he could run,” Billy Baldwin said. “On the other hand, I’m not quite sure if he’s cut from the proper cloth because it requires a lot of tolerance and a lot of patience…” Last year, Baldwin shared on CNN that he was “very, very, interested” in entering into politics. As for the elder Baldwin’s reputation of being “hot-headed”, Billy said, “Let me remind you that John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are quite the same and they are very successful and highly effective politicians.” Alec Baldwin did not immediately respond to requests for comment. [Politico] Read More »

When it comes to depicting boring discussions in conference rooms, HBO has it down to a science. The network adds suspenseful music, crystal-clear cinematography and tense dialogue and suddenly films like “Recount” and “Too Big to Fail” are thrilling narratives of what basically amounts to (mostly white) people sitting around talking. “Game Change,” the forthcoming movie based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s book detailing the 2008 election, is no exception. The new trailer that debuted today cuts crisply between scenes of John McCain (Ed Harris) huddling with staff to Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore) gracefully exiting a vehicle to accept her mantle as a potential vice president of the United States. Routine political chatter, thanks to music, editing, and acting, suddenly becomes supercharged with portent. “We desperately need a game-changing pick,” says GOP campaign strategist Steve Schmidt (played by Woody Harrelson), in one scene. “And none of these middle-aged white guys are game changers.” Harris as McCain shoots back: “So find me a woman.” Enter Palin, as the crowd roars. Check out the trailer after the jump. Read More »

John Cameron Mitchell says he grew up in “the closest thing to a socialist state in America” — the military. Mitchell’s father was a general, and the family lived on army bases around the world. When we spoke to the “Hedwig” star recently about the new film he directed, “Rabbit Hole,” the subject of his military background came up. “The military, despite its conservative reputation, is the most socialist, egalitarian institution in this country and I’m glad to have grown up in it,” Mitchell said. “Health benefits, free housing, you do your job and you get promoted, super racially diverse.” Mitchell is less happy about the way politicians have continued to oppose lifting the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. “I’m very disappointed,” he said, though he added that he thinks gays will be able to serve openly “eventually.” Read More »

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Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.